Ukraine Rugby League (Merged threads)

The Ukrainian Rugby League Federation (UFRL) has struck an agreement with the authorities to include specific rugby league content in the state’s 45 sports schools.

In what the UFRL describes as, “a major victory” for the sport, the move follows rugby league’s official recognition by the government in 2012.

"For rugby league in the Ukraine this is a massive achievement,” said UFRL president Artur Martyrosyan. “Now that we have an official rugby league study programme, every sports school can help develop the game.”

“In the near future we can hope to have youth competitions between about 2,000 participants."

The breakthrough also means that the UFRL can begin development work in previously virgin territories by conducting coach education courses for the various state sports school teachers.

The number of age group teams playing in each school will vary but could be up to four.

That's excellent news! Ukraine just seem to keep growing and growing, especially with junior RL, which is the best way to do it. The more lazy federations should take a look at what they're doing with next to no funds. I would love for them to qualify for 2021 WC.

The Ukrainian Championship has begun despite the ongoing political crisis that has already forced their European Championship B tie against Russia to be switched from its original venue, Kharkov.

Last season, six clubs competed in the top division.

The UFRL expanded it to eight for 2014, playing in two regional divisions with the top two from each going on to play in a finals series but two Group B clubs - KEPU from Simferopol and Patriot from Sevastopol - are from the Crimea and travel is now more complicated than it was before the crisis.

If necessary, the UFRL will elevate two clubs from the second division to take their place.

UFRL president Artur Martyrosyan, himself a native of Kharkov, demonstrated the determination amongst Ukraine’s rugby league community to carry on despite the obstacles. “We assessed the situation in the country and the UFRL clubs decided to proceed with the competition in spite of the difficulties,” he said.

“‘Ukraine begins with us’ is the new slogan of the UFRL, and we are optimistic about the future,” he added.

The season got underway with matches in Kharkov and Kryvyi Rog.

Current champions Legion XIII from Kharkov beat Titan from Donetsk 60-8 to get their campaign off to a dominant start and in Ukraine’s steel city, Kryvyi Rog Rhinos were beaten by Krivbas RLFC.

According to their website, they have a four team top division and a four team second division, as well as a four team u16 and four team u18 league, there are also two University teams. The sport has also been accepted into all of the country's sport schools, so they are doing very well for a new nation, I think they only started up in 2008.

According to their website, they have a four team top division and a four team second division, as well as a four team u16 and four team u18 league, there are also two University teams. The sport has also been accepted into all of the country's sport schools, so they are doing very well for a new nation, I think they only started up in 2008.

Rugby league now has: “All the elements to make a massive leap forward in Ukraine,” according to Ukrainian Rugby League Federation (UFRL) president Artur Martyrosyan.
The positive noises are the result of the sport’s inclusion in the ‘Unified Sports Classification’ list controlled by the ministry of sport, and follow January’s permission for rugby league to form part of the government sport school curriculum.
“It’s a very significant success for rugby league,” continued Martyrosyan. “We now have every element of a major national sport and we can expect a big leap in participation throughout the country.”
“This is one of the most important things that has happened to the UFRL: we received official recognition in 2012, created and lodged a study programme in 2013 and now have the classification.”
It means that players and coaches will be recognised for their achievements with five distinctions that define their aptitude and experience which are also linked to pay-scales in the sports industry, making involvement in rugby league a more attractive proposition.
The UFRL will now begin a project to invite potential leaders from ten target cities - Kiev, Lviv, Rivne, Khmel`nyc`kyy, Uzhgorod, Irpin, Dnipropetrovs`k, Odessa, Mikolaiv and Dneip - to a series of education seminars in Kharkov.
They will deliver match official and coach education programmes and begin local development at junior and senior level.
The next phase of the project will be for the current second division clubs to become part of an expanded first division while the new cities form either regional competitions or a national second division.
At the end of 2014 the UFRL, which received government funding last year for the first time, will submit its annual dossier to the sports ministry in a bid to increase its funding in line with its expanded operations and, crucially, its official status.
Next week sees the recommencement of the Ukrainian championship with Crimean clubs Simferopol and Sevastopol travelling to Krivoy Rog.

On the 8th of November the Ukraine Federation of Rugby League will be conducting a national 1 day coaching course. Having recently received their Rugby League Coaching certification, Ukrainian's Artur Martyrosyan and Oleksander Ivchenko will host the course.

In a sign of how quickly rugby league is growing in Ukraine the course will see 17 coaches from 11 Ukrainian cities (Kharkiv, Lviv, Kyiv, Irpen, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Rivne, Uzhgorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Khmelnytsky) take part.

The following day in Lviv which is in the west of Ukraine, the Rugby League Cup of Ukraine will take place. Artur Martyrosyan explains.

"Teams from Kryvy Rog, Kharkiv, Uzhgorod, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv will participate. The last four teams mentioned in that list will be on their rugby league debut."

"The development of Rugby League in Ukraine has travelled from the east to south and now into the western regions. We can now say that Rugby League is played all over Ukraine which is a major development for the sport."

"Ukraine Rugby League world like to thank both the Rugby League International Federation and the Rugby League Planet Rugby League Development Fund for their continued support with the ongoing development of Rugby League in Ukraine."

At the rate Ukraine are developing rugby league, we might just see them start to progress up the Rugby League European Championship ladder in years to come.